Graphic indicia, including such items as nameplates, descriptors, appliques, emblems etc., are used to decorate, enhance appearance, identify or describe many articles. The present invention relates to such graphic indicia, methods of its use and methods of making such indicia.
More particularly, the present invention relates to automobile emblems, products for industry, and methods for making the same, wherein the methods include printing surfaces of emblems.
Decorative automobile emblems are used to identify and distinguish most makes and models of automobiles today. Such emblems are often used to identify a manufacturer, a line of vehicles, or a particular style or version. The quality of an emblem used on a lower end vehicle may often be lower than the quality for a higher end vehicle, in terms of the materials used, the design, the tolerances, and the subjective visual appearance.
As is often the case, the traditional manufacturing techniques offer a trade-off between perceived quality and cost. The current benchmark or standard for classic high-end, high quality automobile emblems are those made with a Cloisonnxc3xa9 process. This process utilizes a hobbed, cast bronze, or other soft metal component. A channel or recess is then formed into the component and glass frit is added to the channel or recess. The component and the glass are then heated until the glass melts. The component is then buffed so that the layer of glass is polished, even with the remainder of the components, smooth, and visually appealing. Sometimes chrome or another material is electroplated (or otherwise applied) to the remaining portion of the component, while leaving the glass exposed. This tends to raise the height of the chromed portion above the glass, providing a visually distinctive transition.
When properly done, the Cloisonnxc3xa9 process produces aesthetically pleasing, highly decorative emblems. However, the process is time consuming, very labor intensive, and extremely expensive. Such expensive emblems usually only appear on more expensive vehicles. In addition, because soft metal is so often used, the emblems are somewhat flexible. While this generally does not affect the metal portions, flexing the emblem tends to fracture the glass which often ruins the visual appearance. As such, careful manual application is required during assembly and, even then, attachment of the emblem to the vehicle may often result in damage so that increased labor costs result.
For more common emblems, a blank or a workpiece is produced by any suitable process such as casting or injection molding. The blanks could be formed from any suitable material, including plastic or metal. A pattern is defined that may include various recessed portions having vertical sidewalls. The blank is masked so that only the desired pattern is exposed and the blank is then spray painted to achieve a final product. The near-vertical sidewalls are required so that the mask can engage the recess and prevent errant spraying. While producing acceptable results, spray painted emblems are generally considered to be less visually appealing than emblems produced by the Cloisonnxc3xa9 process. Even spray painting emblems is fairly labor intensive in that each blank must be aligned with the mask; however, the final cost of the emblem is much less than those produced with the Cloisonnxc3xa9 process, thus providing one advantage.
With cost often being the deciding factor, and bolstered by the physical difficulties in using the softer Cloisonnxc3xa9 emblems, spray painted emblems are more frequently utilized by automobile manufactures for most vehicles lines. Still, manufactures would prefer to use and discerning consumer would prefer to receive more visually appealing and higher quality emblems, if the price could be reduced.
With most of the emblems being produced with the spray painting process, other significant environmental concerns materialize. As with most spray painting operations, over-spray is produced which, in combination with evaporation and other mechanisms results in the introduction of large amounts of VOC""s (volatile organic compounds) into the environment. For example, in producing just one automobile manufacturer""s signatory identifying emblem (for most of that manufacturer""s vehicles), the emblem manufacturer estimates that some 1500 pounds of VOC""s are released into the environment per month.
Conventional paints are often a mixture of components that have their own level of toxicity. Many of the components contain VOC""s, which are often responsible for the strong chemical odor of fresh paint. When exposed to high concentrations of VOC""s, they may be harmful to humans. For example, breathing vapors with VOC""s may lead to respiratory problems, headaches and even cancer.
One common source of VOC""s in paint comes from solvents which are used to keep paint in liquid form. The VOC""s in solvents are primarily released by evaporation as the paint dries. Another source of VOC""s comes from binders. Binders are resins and oils that harden the paint. Acrylic is the binder found in the latex water-based paints while oil-based paints usually contain alkyd resin as a binder. Latex paints also contain styrene butadiene, and polyvinyl acetate.
The pigments sometimes used in commercial paints may be another source of toxins, often in the form of toxic heavy metals. Paints also contain a multitude of additives like dryers, thickeners, preservatives, anti-fungals, and mildewcidesxe2x80x94all of which are known to be extremely toxic.
Thus, the continued use of spray painting to produce mass quantities of components for objects as plentiful as automobiles would require the introduction of significant volumes of VOC""s into the environment. As a result, there may be a negative environmental impact and in addition, the potential exists for causing harm to humans.
Thus, there exists a need to produce high quality automobile emblems having a high visual and aesthetic quality at a reduced cost while simultaneously reducing the emissions of VOC""s into the environment.
In one embodiment, the present invention utilizes pad printing to print patterns on decorative items.
In one embodiment, the present invention comprises pad printing recessed portions of automobile emblems. The pad printing technique produces deep, rich color patterns with precise, realistic patterning that results in a visually striking presentation. The process allows for multi-color printing to further enhance the resulting printed image. The finished product is as visually appealing, if not more so, than products produced with the Cloisonnxc3xa9 process. Furthermore, the patterning achieved with the present invention cannot be produced using the Cloisonnxc3xa9 process or masking and spray painting. Pad printing is cost effective and can be fully automated, thus resulting in tremendous manufacturing advantages because the costs of producing a high quality, visually striking automobile emblem are greatly reduced compared with using known techniques, such as Cloisonnxc3xa9. Furthermore, because various types of emblems can be manufactured from many different types and kinds of materials, the products and processes of the present invention are not limited to soft metals and, furthermore, do not suffer from the same damage when a resulting product is flexed.
The pad printing process is also significantly less harmful to the environment than spray painting. That is, the process greatly reduces the volume of VOC""s that are introduced. For example, by replacing spray painting with pad printing, one manufacture can reduce the amount of VOC""s being introduced by 91%.
In one embodiment, the pad printing process of the present invention uses a silicone transfer pad to receive an ink pattern and to the press that pattern against a workpiece so that the ink is transferred to the workpiece. In some embodiments, the ink pattern is transferred into a recess located on the workpiece wherein the sidewalls of the recess are not vertical or perpendicular with respect to the workpiece. If the workpiece had vertical sidewalls, the pad would form air gaps or pockets as it pressed into the recess. Thus, the present invention involves specifically configured recess sidewalls and radiused transitions that allow the pad to fully wet the desired portion of the recess, without producing air gaps or pockets that would otherwise lead to sub-standard printing.
In some embodiments, the recess also includes a rounded shoulder portion that is not printed with ink. The shoulder portion may be coated with a reflective material such as chrome. The shoulder portion serves to further visually define the printed area by providing a highly visible boundary. That is, the rounded shoulder will reflect light along a linear pattern when viewed from different angles. This provides a unique sparkle to the product and defines or at least partially borders the printed regions.
In one embodiment, the product of the present invention is an emblem for attachment to a vehicle. The emblem includes a first surface configured for attachment to a body of a vehicle; a second surface opposite the first surface; a boundary surface forming a portion of the second surface; and a recess within the second surface and bordered by the boundary surface. The emblem also includes a generally planar recess floor configured to receive printable ink; a first sidewall interconnecting the generally planar recess floor and a first portion of the boundary surface, wherein the first sidewall is disposed at a non-orthogonal angle with respect to the generally planar recess floor and the non-orthogonal angle is between about 0 degrees and about 85 degrees as measured from a plane orthogonal to the generally planar recess floor and extending from the generally planar recess floor towards the plane defined by the boundary surface to the first sidewall; and a second sidewall interconnecting the generally planar recess floor and a second portion of the boundary surface, wherein the second sidewall is disposed at a non-orthogonal angle with respect to the generally planar recess floor and the non-orthogonal angle is between about 0 degrees and about 85 degrees as measured from a plane orthogonal to the generally planar recess floor and extending from the generally planar recess floor towards the plane defined by the boundary surface to the second sidewall, wherein the recess has a depth defined between the plane generally defined by the boundary surface and the generally planar recess floor, wherein the depth is between about 0.0005 inches and about 0.050 inches.
In one embodiment, the emblem further includes a first floor-sidewall transition interconnecting the generally planar recess floor with the first sidewall, wherein the first floor-sidewall transition is an arcuate corner formed by an arc segment having a radius of between about 0.003 inches and about 0.6 inches; a second floor-sidewall transition interconnecting the generally planar recess floor with the second sidewall, wherein the second floor-sidewall transition is an arcuate corner formed by an arc segment having a radius of between about 0.003 inches and about 0.6 inches.
In one embodiment, the emblem has a first convex rounded corner interconnecting the first sidewall with the first portion of the boundary surface, wherein the first convex rounded corner is formed by an arc segment having a radius of between about 0.003 inches and about 0.6 inches; a second convex rounded corner interconnecting the second sidewall with the second portion of the boundary surface, wherein the second convex rounded corner is formed by an arc segment having a radius of between about 0.003 inches and about 0.6 inches; and an ink layer disposed on the generally planar recess floor so that substantially the entire generally planar recess floor is covered by the ink layer and the ink layer terminates on a first edge between the first floor-sidewall transition and the first convex rounded corner so that the first convex rounded corner is devoid of ink and on a second edge between the second floor-sidewall transition and the second convex rounded corners so that the second convex rounded corner is devoid of ink, wherein the ink layer is pad printing ink applied during a pad printing process. The emblem also has a reflective surface forming at least a portion of the boundary surface, the first convex rounded corner and the second convex rounded corner.
In another embodiment, the present invention is a method of making an automobile emblem. The method comprises providing a workpiece. The workpiece includes a first surface configured for attachment to a body of a vehicle; a second surface opposite the first surface; a boundary surface forming a portion of the second surface; and a recess within the second surface, bordered by the boundary surface. The workpiece also has a generally planar recess floor configured to receive printable ink; a first sidewall interconnecting the generally planar recess floor and a first portion of the boundary surface, wherein the first sidewall is disposed at a non-orthogonal angle with respect to the generally planar recess floor and the non-orthogonal angle is between about 0 degrees and about 85 degrees as measured from a plane orthogonal to the generally planar recess floor and extending from the generally planar recess floor towards the plane defined by the boundary surface to the first sidewall; and a second sidewall interconnecting the generally planar recess floor and a second portion of the boundary surface, wherein the second sidewall is disposed at a non-orthogonal angle with respect to the generally planar recess floor and the non-orthogonal angle is between about 0 degrees and about 85 degrees as measured from a plane orthogonal to the generally planar recess floor and extending from the generally planar recess floor towards the plane defined by the boundary surface to the second sidewall, wherein the recess has a depth defined between the plane generally defined by the boundary surface and the generally planar recess floor, wherein the depth is between about 0.0005 inches and about 0.050 inches.
The workpiece further includes a first floor-sidewall transition interconnecting the generally planar recess floor with the first sidewall, wherein the first floor-sidewall transition is an arcuate corner formed by an arc segment having a radius of between about 0.003 inches and about 0.6 inches; a second floor-sidewall transition interconnecting the generally planar recess floor with the second sidewall, wherein the second floor-sidewall transition is an arcuate corner formed by an arc segment having a radius of between about 0.003 inches and about 0.6 inches.
The workpiece has a first convex rounded corner interconnecting the first sidewall with the first portion of the boundary surface, wherein the first convex rounded corner is formed by an arc segment having a radius of between about 0.003 inches and about 0.6 inches; and a second convex rounded corner interconnecting the second sidewall with the second portion of the boundary surface, wherein the second convex rounded corner is formed by an arc segment having a radius of between about 0.003 inches and about 0.6 inches.
The method further comprises placing the workpiece into a workpiece holder; depositing pad printing ink onto an etched clichxc3xa9 adjacent to the workpiece; passing a doctor blade across the etched clichxc3xa9 to disburse the ink to an etched portion; and positioning a silicone pad above the etched clichxc3xa9. The method provides for pressing the silicone pad against the etched clichxc3xa9d to transfer the ink from the etched clichxc3xa9 to the silicone pad; positioning the silicone pad above the workpiece; and pressing the silicon pad against the workpiece so that the ink transfers from the silicone pad to the workpiece, wherein the ink is applied to the generally planar recessed floor, a portion of the first sidewall, and a portion of the second sidewall so that at least the first and the second rounded corners remain devoid of ink.